13 CHAPTER - The Old South (1820-1860)
The South was a land of great social and geographic diversity in 1860, but strong ties united them -agricultural system that took advantage of a warm climate and long growing season -rural agricultural economy based on the system of slavery THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE COTTON KINGDOM DEEP SOUTH Up until 1840s, immigrants were flocking to the black belt region of central Alabama and along the Mississippi River -dark, rich soil was particularly suited to growing cotton But by the eve of the Civil War, nearly a third of total cotton crop came from west of the Mississippi River (people had expanded even more) -cotton was the primary export and major source of southern wealth UPPER SOUTH Wheat and corn were the major crops New crops required less labor, so slaveholders sold their surplus slaves to planters in the Deep South Basic problems underlying the Souths prosperity: -Once the prime agricultural land was settled, the South could not sustain its rate of expansion -Single-crop agriculture practice rapidly wore out the soil and increased toxins and parasites in the soil, which made southern agriculture more vulnerable than diversified agriculture was -plowing fields rather than using a hoe accelerated soil erosion -increase in disease brought to the area by Europeans and encouraged by the runoff which created stagnant water because of land clearing THE RURAL SOUTH 1860: 84% of the labor force was engaged in agriculture; South produced only 9% of the nations manufactured goods -With so little industry, few cities developed in the South The South as a rural economy: -showed little interest in education or public school systems; most could not read DISTRIBUTION OF SLAVERY Slavery became the Souths peculiar institution rather than a national thing -more than half of slaves lived in the Deep South -in areas of fertile soil, countryside and good transportation slavery dominated -in areas isolated by lack of transportation and covered by hills and mountains, small family farms and few slaves were the rule SLAVERY AS A LABOR SYSTEM Slavery: -responsible for the development of plantations -was a highly profitable investment: slaveholder took about 60% of the annual wealth produced by a slaves labor -shaped the tone of southern society: wealth and power was in the hands of the planter class
Southern planters thought of themselves as landed gentry upholding the aristocratic values of pride, honor, family and hospitality -hostile opinion from the North and Europe made white southerners feel like an isolated minority defending an embattled position CLASS STRUCTURE OF THE WHITE SOUTH Class relations among whites in the Old South were a complex blend of privilege, patronage and equality THE SLAVEOWNERS 1860: -one quarter of the 8 million white southerners owned slaves -most slaveowners owned only a few slaves -planter of consequence owned at least 50 slaves and this group made up the aristocracy at the top of the southern class structure Although limited in size, the planter class owned more than half of all slaves and controlled more than 90% of the regions total wealth TIDEWATER AND FRONTIER Tidewater: -part of a settled region and culture that reached back 150-200 years -where the Old South was born -planters erected large homes -local gentry served as justices of peace -Episcopal church was socially accepted road to heaven -family names continued to be important in politics Frontier: -cotton gentry were men of ordinary backgrounds who had risen by hard work, aggressive business tactics and good luck -for them, cotton boom and exploitation of slavery represented a chance to move up in a new society that lacked an entrenched elite -time was money, slaves were capital, cotton was cash in hand THE MASTER AT HOME Owner: -gave daily instructions concerning work to be done, settled disputes between slaves and the overseer and generally handed out rewards and penalties -made the critical decisions for planting, harvesting, and marketing the crops as well as for investments and expenditures -master of his crops, family, and his slaves Slavery rested on violence, racism and exploitation THE PLANTATION MISTRESS Many responsibilities once married and on a plantation -nursing the sick, making clothing, tending the garden, caring for the poultry and overseeing every aspect of food preparation -supervised and planned the work of the domestic servants Unlike female reformers in the North, upper-class southern women did not openly challenge their role Many women also despised the double standard for sexual behavior -man who fathered illegitimate children by slave women suffered no penalties
-white women guilty of adultery lost all social respectability Some women drew parallels between their situations and that of the slaves -but never sided with the slaves because racism was so prevalent YEOMEN FARMERS Yeomen farmers were the backbone of southern society -owned no slaves and farmed traditional 80-160 acres, like northern farmers -80% owned their own land; most were semisubsistence farmers -lacked wealth of planters but had a pride and dignity that earned them respect of their richer neighbors More isolated lives than north, but similar social activities -religion played an important role -neighbors me to exchange labor and tools -court session, militia musters and political rallies brought rural folk together -could not compete with big planters without slave labor, good transportation and access to credit -lack of towns limited internal market for small farmers to sell crops Yeomen farmers were not poor, but they suffered from a lack of money and absence of conveniences that northern farm families enjoyed -yeomen farmers were not hostile to planters; they admired them and accepted slavery as a means of controlling blacks as members of an inferior social caste based on race Racism and fear of black people were sufficient to keep nonslaveholders loyal to southern institutions POOR WHITES Confined to land that no one else wanted Poverty was hard to escape: -most were illiterate and malnurtured -lived in remote cabins and squatted on land they didnt own -traded with slaves for stolen goods Resented planters but were more hostile to African Americans -would not perform any work commonly done by slaves and opposed ending slavery because their emancipation would erase the one symbol of status that they had over the slaves: that they were free THE PECULIAR INSTITUTION The institution was an economic system of labor but also a caste system based on race WORK AND DISCIPLINE Small farms: -slaves worked in fields alongside their owners and had much closer contact with whites -most Plantations: slaves dealt primarily with the overseer -house servants and drivers received highest status, as well as skilled artisans Gang system: -white overseer or black driver supervised gang of 20-25 adults -predominated in the cotton districts
Task system (the preferred system): -each slave was given a specific daily assignment to complete -allowed slaves to work at their own pace, gave them incentive to work carefully, and freed overseers from having to closely supervise the work -most common in the rice fields During cultivation and harvest: -15-16 hour work days -uncommon to work on Sundays; only half days on Saturdays SLAVE MAINTENANCE Slaves: -usually received only a couple outfits and a cheap pair of shoes a year -lived in cramped, poorly built cabins -were treated by their slaveowners when sick to keep medical costs down Slave population increased naturally at about the same rate as white population -life expectancy was much shorter and mortality rates were much higher RESISTANCE SLAVE REVOLTS COMMON IN LATIN AMERICA Saint Domingue slave revolt: -free blacks who had fought in the American Revolution brought back the dieals of freedom and equality -slaves were encourage by the French Revolution in which black slaves established Haiti in 1804 Other revolts: -Jamaica, Guiana, Brazil (20,000 fugitives had sought refuge in the mountains) Slave revolts were rare in the US -whites outnumbered blacks and government was more powerful -majority of slaves were native-born and family life was stronger -many potential leaders became fugitives instead Some US revolts did happen but were not very successful: -1800 Gabriel Prosser and a few hundred slaves marched on Richmond -Denmarks Vasey conspiracy Nat Turner slave revolt (1831): -Turner was convinced that God had selected him to punish the whites -first killed his master and family with the help of 7 -recruited some 70 slaves and killed 57 people Turners uprising left white southerners uneasy -Turner seemed a model slave and suddenly turned on his master Most resistance was more subtle than Turners revolt: -running away (such as Octave Johnson) -abusing their masters property (breaking tools, mishandling animals) -theft SLAVE CULTURE THE SLAVE FAMILY Families could be split by trading a being sold Slaves developed their own moral code of sexual relations and marriage -did not consider it wrong for a girl to have children before marriage
-women did indoor work, men did outdoor chores SONGS AND STORIES OF PROTEST AND CELEBRATION Songs expressed slaves deepest feelings about lfie: -Bitterness and Sorrow -also celebrations (holidays, marriages, harvest time) Folktales: -Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear -taught the young how to survive in a hostile world THE LORD CALLS US HOME Religion stood at the center of the slave culture Slaveowners carefully controlled religion among slaves -no mention of Jesus, preacher said to obey masters and not to lie and steal Many slaves met secretly on plantations to celebrate own African religion: -singing, clapping, emotional release Churches were also the one institution in the South where blacks were accorded a measure of equality Religion gave slaves a sense of self-worth and values Song played a central role -songs often contained a hidden element of protest Religion ultimately: -served to comfort slaves after days of toil and sorrow -strengthened togetherness and common purpose and held out the promise of eventual freedom in this world and the next THE SLAVE COMMUNITY Realities of slavery and white racism inevitably drove black people closer together in a common bond and forced them to depend on one another to survive FREE BLACK SOUTHERNERS 1860: 7% of blacks in the South were free (85% of which were in Upper South) -free black southerners were much more urban than southern white or slave populations -more literate and disproportionately female of mixed ancestry Most free blacks made a living on farming or in unskilled jobs, but some became slave owners themselves There was a blurred line between free and enslaved blacks -fishermans courts: annual hiring fair for free blacks and slaves -freed and slaves could share news with folk they did not regularly see Restrictions increased on free blacks after Nat Turners rebellion SOUTHERN SOCIETY AND THE DEFENCE OF SLAVERY Slavery was central to the life of the South, to its culture and its identity THE VIRGINIA DEBATE OF 1832 During the Revolution: -Leading critics of slavery were southerners (Jefferson, Washington, Madison) In the 1820s, after controversy of admitting Missouri as a slave state: -South became more defensive of slavery 1831: -William Lloyd Garrison began publishing The Liberator
-Nat Turners revolt -white southerners were frightened THE PROSLAVERY ARGUMENT Arguments for slavery: -ministers argued that none of the biblical prophets or Christ ever condemned slavery -Defenders pointed out that classical Greece and Rome also depended on slavery -cited John Locke who recognized slavery in the constitution he drafted for California -black belonged to an intellectually and emotionally inferior race, and lacked the ability to care for themselves -proslavery writers said slaves in South lived better than factory workers in the North -exaggerated material comforts of slavery and minimized conditions Defenders of slavery did not expect to convert northerners -targeted more toward slaveholders themselves CLOSING RANKS South was intolerant of those that did not support slavery Slavery entered national political debate -During Jacksonian era, most southern political debate did not revolve around slavery -Southern politicians still had to be careful about being the least bit critical of slavery or southern institutions because southern voters overwhelmingly supported slavery SUMMARY A series of political upheavals lead to increased democratic participation in many nation-states The industrial revolution applied machine labor and technological innovation to commercial and agricultural economies -occurred mostly in the North, but affected the South too -cotton could not have become king without demand created by textile factories or Eli Whitneys invention -cotton production also relied on the industrial advances in transportation Slavery became the focus of disputed between the two sections (S and N) -industrial revolutions demand for cotton increased demand for slave labor and profits to be gained but the spread of democratic ideology worldwide increased pressure to abolish slavery mid-1840s: contradictory pressures brought slavery issue to the center of politics -western expansion: how much of new territory should be open to slavery